UEFA Fines Clubs Including Barcelona and Manchester United: Why?

On Friday, the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) imposed financial penalties on Barcelona and Manchester United for violating Financial Fair Play regulations. Barcelona was fined €500,000 (approximately $561,000) for falsely reporting "profits from the sale of intangible assets" last year, while Manchester United was fined €300,000 due to a "slight deficit." Manchester United stated in a release to British media: "Despite the disappointment with the outcome, Manchester United accepts this fine due to what UEFA considers a minor technical breach of the previous Financial Fair Play regulations." UEFA also fined both Cypriot club APOEL and Turkish club Konyaspor €100,000 each for the same violation faced by Manchester United. Other clubs that were fined included Turkish teams Başakşehir and Trabzonspor, as well as Belgian champions Royal Antwerp and Anderlecht.